Germany

"Germany is Europe's unrivaled superpower, its largest economy and its most powerful political force. And yet if its response to recent global crises, and the general attitude of its leaders and citizens, are any indication, there appears to be nothing that will get the German government to consider military intervention."

Benn Steil's latest Forbes op-ed, co-authored with Dinah Walker, shows why Greece may turn out to be a deciding factor in the German elections. While it is widely believed that a fresh mandate for Chancellor Merkel means more robust German involvement to end the eurozone crisis, they show why the loss of her FDP coalition partner could mean the opposite.

Secretary John Kerry and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle held this press conference after their meeting on February 26, 2013. They discussed troops in Afghanistan, the Syria crisis, German-U.S. economic relations, and Iran.

Wolfgang Münchau writes that despite isolating himself from his peers in the European Central Bank, Jens Weidmann, president of the Deutsche Bundesbank, is actually winning the debate about future ECB policy.

CFR's James M. Lindsay remembers Adolf Hitler's announcement in 1935 that he would reintroduce conscription in Germany, and discusses instances when a country should be confronted rather than accommodated.

Anti-Germany protests in Athens have highlighted the country's complicated role as de facto leader of Europe while raising concerns about the continent's ability to advance difficult solutions to the sovereign debt crisis.

Italy's budget may matter more than ineffectual Franco-German summitry, but the new agreement between France and Germany on reforming EU rules remains a reckless distraction, says CFR's Sebastian Mallaby.